I always liked Zappa's earliest work best, even if he worked with more talented musicians in later years.

Ditto, "Freak Out", was genius. I saw the M.O.I. in Seattle where they opened for the 'Stones, and blew the place away. I never understood that story why Lowell George (a genius in his own right) was fired by Zappa, except Zappa had said he did not approve of the lyrics to "Willin'" because of the drug inferences.